Businessman Inshan Ishmael may no longer have to pursue a lawsuit for almost $830,000 in fees for work his company performed in repairing and servicing T&T Police Service (TTPS) vehicles.
In July last year, Ishmael filed a breach of contract case against the Office of the Attorney General as he claimed that his company Roll-On Roll-Off Centre (ROC) was owed almost $1.8 million for work it performed between 2018 and 2021.
The AG’s Office initially challenged Ishmael’s case as it claimed that there were no records of a valid maintenance contract between his company and the TTPS.
During a hearing of the case before Justice Carol Gobin, yesterday morning, Ishmael’s lawyer Richard Jaggasar pointed to correspondence from the TTPS sent in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
In the letter, sent late last week, the TTPS’ legal unit confirmed that ROC had valid invoices for work performed valued at $1,801,225.34. It noted that $966,820.13 had been paid, leaving an outstanding balance of $834,405.21.
State attorney Avione Romain claimed that the initial position taken by the AG’s Office was based on instructions it received from the TTPS. “Subsequent to that, we were told there may be some money owed,” she said.
Despite her admission, Romain said that she needed the approval of Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, to officially concede the case.
“We require that approval. We now have instructions that sums are owed but we are not authorised to admit that,” she said.
Justice Gobin took issue with the handling of the case.
“One expected some kind of communication,” the judge said.
Justice Gobin adjourned the case to give Romain a week to obtain Armour’s permission to settle the lawsuit.
“Let the AG know the judge intends to grant judgment for that sum,” she said.
Justice Gobin also adjourned Ishmael’s FOIA matter as she noted that the TTPS admitted that there are two requested items, which it has to decide whether to disclose or not.
Through the lawsuit, Ishmael was seeking compensation for the consequential losses his business suffered as a result of the contract.
Ishmael claimed he was forced to restructure the company as it incurred significant debt for the parts that were used to repair the TTPS vehicles.
He claimed that he was eventually forced to close his company’s motor vehicle servicing division.